A Pedigree to Die For (32 page)

BOOK: A Pedigree to Die For

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“Northern New Jersey. Why?”

Good, that meant the shows would be day trips. “Come to my house for dinner tomorrow night. I make a great lasagna. We can drink a little wine . . .”

Jenny smiled wanly. “And forget all about our troubles?”

“Something like that.”

She thought about it for a minute. “Sure. Why not? I'd like that.”

I scribbled directions down on the back of the sign-up sheet and we decided six o'clock would work for both of us.

“Come on people!” Rick clapped his hands loudly. “Let's get ourselves into some kind of order or we'll be here all night. Everybody line up along the side. Big dogs in front, please.”

I was moving to comply when the front door opened and slammed shut in the outer hallway. “I'm here! I'm here!” called Aunt Peg. She and Hope came barreling into the room and she was shedding her coat as she ran. “Don't start without me!”

Rick grinned and shook his head. Even Jenny managed a small chuckle. Good old Aunt Peg. Never let it be said she didn't like to make an entrance. She stopped grandly in the middle of the mats.

“Where do you want me?”

I'd taken a place about halfway down the line. Aunt Peg purposely avoided looking my way.

“How about right up front?” said Rick.

Some things never change.

Davey and I spent most of the next afternoon after school raking leaves. The yard isn't that big and the job wouldn't have taken so long except that every time I got a decent sized pile together, Davey and Faith dove in. They were so cute together that I had to go into the house and get the camera. Now I'd have to be sure that Aunt Peg never saw the pictures of her show puppy with leaves intertwined through that all important coat of hair.

We finally bagged the last of what was on the ground and while Davey was taking a bath, I brushed through Faith's coat with a pin brush, then took down her topknot which is the hair on the top of her head. If a Poodle is going to be shown, that hair is never cut. Eventually it will grow nearly a foot long. To keep it out of the dog's face, the hair is gathered into a series of small pony tails which are held in place with tiny colored rubber bands. I cut loose the old bands, brushed through the hair, then reset it with new ones. I was just finishing when the phone rang.

It was Aunt Peg. “This is so awful,” she said.

“What is?”

“I was just talking to Rick Maguire.”

As I waited for her to continue, I slipped Faith a piece of cheese as a reward for being good, then hopped her down off the portable grooming table I'd set up in the kitchen.

“What?” I asked again when a moment passed and she still hadn't said a word.

“I just can't believe it.” Peg's voice was oddly flat. “Rick was so upset I could barely understand what he was saying. Melanie, Jenny Maguire is dead.”

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If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

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ISBN: 978-0-8065-3651-4

BOOK: A Pedigree to Die For

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